"I shan't do it, Eri!" he vowed wildly. "I shan't do it! There ain't no
use askin' me; I won't marry that black woman! I won't, by thunder!"

"There! there! Jerry!" said Captain Eri soothingly. "Nobody wants you
to. There ain't no danger now. She didn't see us."

"Ain't no danger! There you go again, Eri Hedge! She'll ask where I live
and come right down in the depot wagon. Oh! Lordy! Lordy!"

The frantic sacrifice was about to bound away again, when Captain Eri
caught him by the arm.

"I'll tell you what," he said, "we'll scoot for Eldredge's shanty and
hide there till she gits tired and goes away. P'raps she won't come,
anyhow."

The deserted fish shanty, property of the heirs of the late Nathaniel
Eldredge, was situated in a hollow close to the house. In a few moments
the three were inside, with a sawhorse against the door. Then Captain
Eri pantingly sat down on an overturned bucket and laughed until the
tears came into his eyes.

"That's it, laff!" almost sobbed Captain Jerry. "Set there and tee-hee
like a Bedlamite. It's what you might expect. Wait till the rest of the
town finds out about this; they'll do the laffin' then, and you won't
feel so funny. We'll never hear the last of it in this world. If that
darky comes down here, I'll--I'll drown her; I will--"

"I don't blame Jerry," said Perez indignantly. "I don't see much to laff
at. Oh, my soul and body there she comes now."